Montana premiere of ‘Hard Twist’: Through the Lens of Barbara Van Cleve
October 9 @ 6:00pm
Montana premiere of a feature documentary
on the life of famed Western photographer and Big Timber native Barbara
Van Cleve. The premiere will take place on Friday, October 9, at 6 PM at
the Ellen Theatre in Bozeman as part of the Bozeman Film Festival. Ms. Van
Cleve , who currently lives in Big Timber, will attend and participate in
the Q&A.
Hard Twist: Through the Lens of Barbara Van Cleve, a New Documentary Feature Film, Will Have Its Montana Premiere at the Bozeman Film Festival with Barbara Van Cleve in Attendance
What: Montana premiere of a feature documentary about the life and art of iconic
Western Photographer Barbara Van Cleve
Who: The film was directed by award-winning filmmaker Cynthia Matty-Huber,
who also produced the film with veteran filmmaker Dennis Aig. Barbara Van Cleve will join them in the post-screening Q&A.
When: Friday evening, October 9, at 6 P.M.
Where: Ellen Theatre, 17 W. Main Street, Bozeman, Montana
Event: Bozeman Film Festival, presented by the Bozeman Film Society
Contact: Dennis Aig at 406.570.9505 or dennisaig@gmail.com
Cynthia Matty-Huber at 603.568.2310 or http://crmattyfilms@gmail.com
Ms. Van Cleve is available for interviews in all media as are Cynthia Matty-Huber
and Dennis Aig. Please contact Dennis Aig or Cynthia Matty-Huber at the contact information above to schedule an interview and/or preview screening.
About the Film and Barbara Van Cleve
Our knowledge of the West is often drawn from the images of the people who live here and the photographers who captured their unique actions and lifestyles. Among the most acclaimed of these visual interpreters is Barbara Van Cleve, who, at the age of 91, is still revealing how ranch people endure while the world rapidly changes around them. Van Cleve, who grew up on a ranch in Big Timber before setting out to the wider world, transformed the photography of the West through an independent life and vision that celebrated both the beauty of the land and the resilience of its people, especially women.
From her youth on the family’s ranch in Big Timber to her emergence at midlife as a chronicler of the transformation of the contemporary American West, she followed her own creative path, including a decades-long professional and personal relationship with another woman. Moving back to Big Timber later in life, she continued to embrace her roles as an independent artist, an advocate for ranch women, and an unabashed leader in a photographic genre long considered the domain of men. She also experienced the haunting losses and memories that accompany aging.
These emotions all brought a new strength to her life and work. She will discuss these experiences, which are documented in the film, during the Q&A.
Barbara Van Cleve has won multiple honors for her work, which is in museums and collections throughout the United States, including the CM Russell Museum, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Montana Historical Society, New Mexico Museum of Art, and many others.
About the Filmmakers
Cynthia Matty-Huber – Director-Producer- Cinematographer
Cynthia Matty-Huber, a resident of Livingston, Montana, is known for her films that capture the American West’s rugged beauty and vanishing lifestyles. Cynthia transitioned into documentary filmmaking with an extensive background in photography already under her belt. Always having her eye on the Montana landscape and the people who occupy it, her first series of short films followed an aging Montana rancher, John Hoiland. The second film I Am Still Here (2019), was nominated for Best Documentary Short at the Big Sky Film Festival. The third and final installment in the series, For Love of the Land (2021), received critical acclaim at festivals across the country. Hard Twist is Cynthia’s first feature film
Dennis Aig – Producer
Veteran producer Dennis Aig has worked in many genres during the course of his career. He has produced feature documentaries, narrative films, animation, non-profit works, and commercials. He has worked with Columbia Pictures, Netflix, The Walt Disney Company, Hulu, PBS, Peacock, and National Geographic as well as independently financed productions. The films he has produced include Shadow Casting: The Making of “A River Runs Through It”, Confessions of a Stand-Up” Visions of Grace: Robert Redford and “The Horse Whisperer,” Unbranded,
Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story, and Thine Ears Shall Bleed, among many others. He is also a professor emeritus at Montana State University, where he taught film for more than 30 years.
